Thanks, Mr. Chair. I recognize that the clock is ticking. I do feel compelled to respond to some of the things that I heard.

I think that I heard the honourable Member for Nunakput say that this amendment is an example of people trying to lock up areas. I want to assure everyone in this Assembly that that is not why I am here. I have lived here for 35 years, almost. I worked for Indigenous governments when I first arrived. I have never said that I speak on behalf of Indigenous governments. I am here to make sure that our government honours the agreements and Indigenous rights as they have already been established. That is why I am here, so I don't accept the honourable Member's imputing motives to me.

This motion is really about creating certainty and timely decisions. It doesn't stop the process in any way. What this does, in fact, is make sure that an area moves outside of the nomination process, that a decision is made, and if it is made to accept it as a nominated area, it gets interim protection. That is an important thing moving forward, that an area will get timely interim protection, and it could go into a process where establishment agreements can be negotiated, everybody can look at the mineral potential, how to set boundaries, how the area would be managed, and so on. It is to get it out of that nomination phase, the phase that my colleague, the honourable Member for Deh Cho, has said has taken years in some cases under the Protected Areas Strategy. This is to try to prevent that from happening.

This is about ensuring a timely decision is made. This does not replace the decision-making authority of the Executive Council, on recommendation of the Minister under 11(1) of the bill, in any stretch of the imagination. This is about ensuring that the Minister makes a timely decision on a nominated area.

I remain in favour of it, and I, Mr. Chair, would request a recorded vote.